Coping with rodents

Nearly all domestic properties will be visited by mice and rats at some time or another. If they are dealt with quickly there should not be a serious problem. However, if they become a lasting presence in a property, they are a danger to health and to the house, so it’s important to act quickly.

The presence of rats and mice is easy to detect by their droppings, and the size will tell you which you have. Rat droppings are about 3/4 inch (19mm) long, whereas mice droppings are approximately one third the size, 1/4 inch (6mm) long. The dark brown droppings will appear on floors, shelves and furniture.

Rodents will make their presence known in various ways other than their droppings. Chewed food packets, and shredded cardboard boxes are a sure sign, as are gnawed wooden furniture and plumbing. Mice and rats like to make their nests in spaces under floors, in outbuildings, and within hollow walls. When the house is quiet, you can hear them moving around. Even their chewing can be audible at times.

Rodents are attracted by easily available food sources such as pet food and kitchen waste. Kitchen compost should be kept away from the house and treated with lime to speed up decomposition. Garbage needs to be kept in a sealed metal container with a lid, and pet food must be cleared away after feeding.

As well as being a nuisance, rats and mice are a health hazard. Diseases can be spread by their urine and droppings, and also as a result of a bite. Food partially eaten or otherwise contaminated by them can cause food poisoning and should always be thrown away, and surfaces on which they have run must be disinfected.

Rodent numbers will increase rapidly in your house once they start to breed, as they have large and frequent litters. They could cause permanent damage by chewing through electrical cabling, and even ceilings and walls.

Removing available food will have some deterrent effect, and devices such as ultra-sonic repellers can be helpful, but ultimately only killing rodents will be completely effective. Set spring-loaded traps across their pathways, baited with cheese, dried fruit such as raisins, or a mixture of oats and peanut butter. The bait should be on the side nearest the wall.

Take care when throwing away dead mice and rats. Handle them only with gloves, and seal them in two plastic bags. The corpses can be buried in a hole over half a metre deep, or it may be permissible to put them in with domestic rubbish. Clean traps with a weak bleach solution.

Rodents are a frequent and unpleasant problem, and one which must not be ignored, but effective solutions are available. If trapping does not work, consider contacting your local authority or a specialist vermin control company.

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Home & Family, danger, mice, pests, rats